Expectations are relative: Beating Ben Rothwell didn't do so much for Andrei Arlovski, but it helped propel Cain Velasquez into the Sherdog.com list of the sport's top 10 heavyweights. Velasquez makes the move after going to 7-0 on Saturday, delivering a beating to the former IFL champion that made Rothwell look like, well, a former IFL champion.
What the sudden postponement of the Brock Lesnar-Shane Carwin bout does for Velasquez's immediate future is TBD: The soonest he'd get a title shot would probably be in late spring or summer, assuming Carwin-Lesnar happens in January or February. If Velasquez fights before then, he risks that placement. On the other hand, he might want another bout before trying his luck against two guys who could palm a Swiss ball.
Los Angeles was also good to Chael Sonnen, who posted his third underdog victory in a row by defeating the very tough, very bathroom-break-worthy Yushin Okami, moving him to a No. 7 slot. He's already lost to middleweight contender Demian Maia, though; his best hope is that Dan Henderson bails for Strikeforce, leaving him and Nate Marquardt in the immediate title loop.
The only man in immediate danger of losing top placement in any division is Fedor Emelianenko, who fights Brett Rogers on Oct. 7. And if that happens, you can expect one uniform response from any rankings system: server unavailable.